A Nightmare On Elm Street
by Ghostwriter
Summary: One of the original victims survives and helps Nancy fight Freddy.
1. Saving Rod

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET

AUTHOR'S NOTE\DISCLAIMER

I didn't like the fact that they killed off Rod in the movie, so this is my idea of what would happen if he had survived. The rest of the movie will be the same as before only with Rod in it. Starts from where Nancy convinces her dad to let her see him again. Throughout the story, I'll be using some lines from extended scenes I saw on youtube---they're not there now, I checked---and I've edited some of the language as well as added my own dialogue. Anything you don't recognize is either from an extended scene or my own dialogue.

CHAPTER ONE: SAVING ROD

"Just go down and look at him. Please, Daddy," Nancy urged, staring at her father with intense eyes. _Please, Daddy. Just listen to me_, she silently encouraged.   
"All right," Lt. Thompson agreed with a sigh. He never could say 'no' to those eyes of hers. "Garcia, give me the keys," he instructed. The officer turned to the desk.

"All right," Sgt. Garcia agreed, opening his desk drawer. "Where the heck did I put the keys?" he wondered. In Rod's cell, the bed sheet continued to intertwine around the boy's neck. Slowly, his eyes opened. He looked down. The sheet tightened on his throat and he grabbed the material.

"Hey!" he cried. He grasped the sides of his cot. "Help!" he shouted. In the other room, Garcia turned to the other officer. "Did you see where I put my keys?" he questioned, but only received a shrug.

"Oh, for crying out loud," Nancy huffed as she ran towards the desk. Frantically, she began rummaging around. They didn't have time for this. They had to check on Rod. Meanwhile, Rod's struggles had knocked him to the floor. "Help! Aaah! Help!" he screamed as something pulled him towards the wall. After finally finding the keys, Nancy, Glen, and the officers ran towards his cell. Garcia unlocked the door and Nancy pushed past him as Rod continued sliding towards the wall.

"NO!" the girl shrieked, lunging towards him. He started up the wall, but she grabbed him by the shoulders and started pulling him down.

"Help me, dang it!" Nancy screamed. She wasn't about to lose another one of her friends.

"What the heck?" Garcia asked as he and Lt. Thompson joined the girl. For a few minutes, there was an intense fight as the boy was pulled in two different directions. Together, the three managed to pull Rod away from the wall. Nancy heard the faint sound of what seemed to be a roar of anger, and then---nothing.

"Geez! What the heck happened?" Lt. Thompson questioned as they removed the sheet from his neck.

"Are you okay?" Nancy asked at the same time.

"I'm all right. I'm all right," Rod rasped, collapsing on the bed. Nancy threw her arms around him pulled him close. She needed---she needed to make sure he was here. That she hadn't almost lost him too.

"You're sure you're all right, man?" Glen queried in concern, putting a concerned hand on his shoulder. He wasn't quite sure what had just happened, but at least they hadn't lost **him** too.

"Yeah. I'm all right," Rod assured. Nancy panted shakily and Rod put an arm around her, letting his hand rest on the back of her head and stared at Glen with wide eyes.

"He's still after us," he commented fearfully. Instantly, his friend knew who he was referring to.

"I---no. They're just dreams…aren't they?" the other boy queried nervously.

"What the heck is going on around here?" Lt. Thompson demanded.


	2. The Dream Center

DISCLAIMER

NOES belongs to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema. Remember, this is basically the rest of the movie, only with Rod. Some dialogue will be changed to match with what I'm doing. One slight curse. Not even really a curse, just a description of what Nancy's been goin' through.

The next day, Nancy, her parents, and Rod were sitting at the kitchen table in her house. Nancy hadn't been able to convince Glen to come over. He was so stressed that all he wanted to was be close to his parents.

"What's the matter, baby?" Lt. Thompson asked.

"The killer's still loose you know," Nancy told him.

"You saying somebody else killed Tina?" Lt. Thompson queried. "Who?" he prompted when Nancy didn't answer.

"We don't know who he is. But he's burned," Nancy replied.

"And he wears a weird hat," Rod chimed in. Lt. Thompson's face became grave in recognition. There was only one person in Elm Street who had ever worn a strange hat.

"And a red-and-green sweater, really dirty," Nancy continued. Mrs. Thompson's face became pained and her chest heaved in fright. No. It couldn't be! He was dead.

"And he uses these knives---like giant fingernails," Rod finished.

"Maybe we should send them out of town for a few days. Just until they get over the shock of all this," Lt. Thompson suggested to Marge.

"I've got a better idea. I'm gonna get them some help," Marge responded.

"What kind of help?" Rod demanded.

"We're not crazy!" Nancy objected at the same time.

"Come on. Just do this for us," Marge requested. Nancy and Rod stared at each other, sending silent messages to each other with their eyes.

"Let's just humor 'em," the boy finally stated.

"Okay," Nancy sighed. With that, the two teens stood up and followed Mrs. Thompson out to her car. Then, they got in and the woman drove off. Minutes later, they were at the Katja Institute for the study of Sleep Disorders, where Nancy was strapped to a sitting table.

"Does your family have a history of any medical problems or mental disease?" the doctor asked.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Rod muttered.

"No," Mrs. Thompson answered, ignoring him.

"I don't see why you couldn't just give me a pill to keep me from dreaming," Nancy stated.

"Everyone's got to dream, young lady. If you don't dream, you go," the doctor responded.

"Better way to go than gettin' slashed," Rod murmured.

"Okay. All set?" the nurse asked. Nancy blew out a breath.

"No," she said, looking at her mother.

"Please, Nancy. Trust us," Marge implored.

"It's not you I don't trust. It's just…" Nancy's voice trailed off.

"Hey. I'll be right here. I won't let anything happen to you," Rod promised, gently squeezing her shoulder. She sighed again.

"Okay. Let's do it," the girl agreed in resignation. Marge kissed her daughter on the forehead and Nancy was hooked up to the machine. Marge, Rod, and the doctor sat in chairs and watched as Nancy lay on the bed. It took her awhile, but she eventually fell asleep.

"How long has this been going on?" the doctor questioned.

"Since the murders. She was fine before then. Now she thinks her dreams are real," Marge answered.

"They **are**," Rod murmured dourly.

"Well, there's no sign of pathology in her E.G. I guess what we have is just a normal girl who's happened to go through two days of hell," the doctor commented, choosing to ignore the teen's comment. Rod let out a scoff. _You'd be wrecked too if one of your friends was murdered in their sleep_, he thought to himself. The machine made a small noise. "Okay. She's asleep now," the doctor said.

"Thank God," Marge whispered. She sighed and picked up her purse. "What the heck are dreams anyway?" she asked, taking out a cigarette.

"Mysteries. Incredible body hocus-pocus. The truth is, we still don't know **what** they are, or where they come from," the doctor replied. "Okay, she's going into deep sleep now," he continued about a minute later. "Heart rate's a little high, but that's just due to anxiety. Otherwise, she's nice and relaxed. All signs are normal. She could dream at anytime now," he stated. _Yeah, that's what we're afraid of_, Rod thought. However, he didn't voice this. He didn't want to be the next one hooked up to that dang machine. The doctor pressed some buttons. "Beta-waves are slowing. She's into REM's now. She's definitely dreaming now," he continued. Rod felt his stomach clench. If she was asleep, that meant that freak could get to her. "It's a good one too. Typical dream parameter. A nightmare now would be a plus or minus five or six. She's about a three," the doctor told them. The machine made high-pitched noises. On the table, Nancy moaned. She heard a screeing sound and water dripping. She began gasping and struggling. Rod tensed. No! He was after her!

"Doctor, what's she doing now?" Marge asked. The doctor stammered as the machine's noises continued. "Is she asleep or awake?" the woman pressed.

"Something's wrong. It never gets this high," the doctor said. Nancy cried out.

"Nancy!" Rod exclaimed.

"What's she doing?" Marge asked.

"I---I don't know," the doctor admitted, checking the scanners.

"Is she dreaming?" Marge asked with a hint of panic. Nancy made a choking sound and her body flopped on the bed. Hearing the panicked cry, Rod leapt from his seat and burst through the door, the others on his heels. Nancy let out a strangled cry and lifted an arm in defense. Rod quickly disconnected Nancy from the machine.

"Nancy! Nancy!" he shouted, trying to steady her. Marge and a nurse pushed Rod out of the way.

"Nancy! Nancy, it's Mom!" she cried, as she and a nurse repeated Rod's actions as the doctor prepared a syringe. "Nancy! Nancy! It's Mom! It's Mom!" Marge cried again. The shriek died down. "Nancy, it's Mom," she assured her. She panted and looked around.

"Rod?" she asked.

"It's okay. I'm right here," he assured, coming to stand in between the nurse and her mother. "You're safe," he told her, kneeling down. It was then that he noticed something different.

"What?" he asked.

"Her hair," Marge noted, fingering the strand that had now turned white.

"How the heck?" Rod wondered.

"Excuse me," the doctor said, coming in between them..

"This will help you sleep," the nurse stated, as she started to administer the shot.

"NO!" Rod and Nancy shouted together, the girl pushing the doctor away.

"Oh, my gosh! Her arm!" Marge cried, seeing the angry slashes.

"Get something!" Rod added.

"What happened, baby? What happened?" Marge wondered. The doctor began to tear some bandages and Nancy noticed something by her side.

"I brought something out from my dream," she announced. The adults stared in surprise and Rod recoiled slightly when he saw the brown fedora.

"Where did you get that?" Marge wondered, taking it. Nancy looked at her.

"I grabbed it off his head," she answered.


	3. Sleep, Survival, And Fred Krueger

DISCLAIMER

NOES belongs to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema. I **do** change some lines to make it fit. One sort of swear word.

Minutes later, Marge was back at her house, while Rod and Nancy were out and about somewhere. Where, Marge wasn't sure, but Nancy had seemed really shaky, despite Rod's best efforts to calm her down. As soon as she had gotten home, the woman had called her husband to tell him what happened.

"She said she grabbed it off his head in her dream," Marge reported. Then, "No, I'm not crazy. I'm holding the dang thing right here in my hand. I don't know where she really found it." She listened for a few minutes. "Of course I remember. I was there. We all were." Just then, Nancy opened the door and she and Rod walked in. Hearing the door, Marge glanced towards the living room. "I've gotta go," she said, and then hid the hat in a drawer. Nancy and Rod walked to the table, where Nancy immediately got herself a cup of coffee. Marge stared at her.

"You really need to get some sleep," she advised. Her daughter didn't respond. "You know, the doctor says you **have** to sleep or---" she continued.

"Or I'll go even crazier?" Nancy interrupted, taking a drink of the hot liquid.

"I don't think you're crazy," Mrs. Thompson said. "And stop drinking that dang coffee," she scolded, taking away the cup.

"So, did you ask Lt. Thompson to have the hat examined?" Rod questioned.

"I threw that filthy thing away," Mrs. Thompson responded as she stood in a front of a drawer. "I don't know where you really found it, or what you're trying to prove," she continued.

"What I learned in the dream clinic. That's what I'm trying to prove, Mother," Nancy answered in exasperation. "Rod didn't kill Tina," she continued.

"And I didn't try to hang myself," Rod chimed in.

"It's this guy. He's after us in our dreams," Nancy earnestly told her mother.

"But that's just not reality, kids," Mrs. Thompson said, turning her back on them. Nancy opened the drawer.

"It's real, Mama. Feel it," she dared, touching the woman's arm with the hat. Marge turned around.

"Give me that dang thing!" she exclaimed, trying to grab the fedora. However, her daughter pulled it out of reach.

"It even has his name written in it! Fred Krueger, Mom! Fred Krueger!" her daughter yelled. Marge winced at the name. "Do you know who that is, Mother?" the teen asked.

"Because if you do, you better tell us! Because he's after **us** now!" Rod emphasized.

"Nancy, Rod. Trust me for once, please. You'll both feel better when you get some sleep," Mrs. Thompson stated.

"'Feel better'?" Nancy repeated, clasping her wounded arm. "You call this feeling better?" she questioned. Marge didn't answer. "Or maybe I should grab that bottle and veg out with you. Avoid everything happening to me by just getting good and loaded," the teen continued. Marge backhanded Nancy in the face. Nancy and Rod backed away.

"Fred Krueger can't come after you, kids. He's dead. Believe me, I know," Marge told them. The teens stared in surprise.

"You knew about him all this time and you've been acting like it was something we made up?" Rod asked in controlled anger.

"Kids, you're sick. There's something wrong with you. You're imagining things," the woman said. She sighed. "You'll feel better once you get some sleep. It's just as simple as that," she continued, grabbing a wine bottle.

"Screw sleep!" Nancy shouted, smashing the bottle on the floor. She threw the hat at her mother and the two teens headed for the door.

"Kids! It's just a nightmare!" she told them.

"That's enough," Nancy said. Then, they left. Minutes later, they met Glen on the bridge.

"Whenever I get nervous, I eat," Glen admitted.

"And when you can't do that, you sleep," Rod surmised.

"I used to. Not anymore," Glen answered. There was a beat. "Did you ever read about the Balinese way of dreaming?" he asked.

"No," Nancy replied.

"They have this whole system called Dream Skills. So, if you have a nightmare---for instance, like falling, right?---" Glen began to say. As he did so, he got their food out of the paper bag.

"Right," Nancy prompted.

"Well, instead of screamin', gettin' all nuts, you say, 'Okay. I'm gonna make up my mind that I fall into a magic world. Make it somethin' special like a poem or a song'," Glen told them. He looked at them. "They get all their art and literature from dreams. Just wake up and write it down. Dream Skills," he finished.

"Well, what if they meet a monster in their dreams?" Nancy wondered.

"Yeah. Then what?" Rod added.

"They turn their back on it. Take away its energy and it disappears," Glen responded.

"But what happens if they don't do that?" Nancy wondered.

"Well, then, I guess those people don't wake up to tell what happens," Glen replied.

"Great," Nancy said. Glen took a look at the book she was holding.

"Booby-traps and Improvised Anti-Personal Devices?" he read. Nancy's face became guarded. "Well, what are you readin' that for?" he wondered.

"I'm into survival," his girlfriend responded with a shrug. "See ya," she said as she and Rod walked off.

"You guys are startin' to scare me!" he called after them. Later that night, Nancy and Rod returned to her home to see bars on her door.

"Oh, gross," she said. She ran up to the porch and surveyed the surroundings. All the windows had bars and her mother had cut down the rose trellis. She hit the side of the house and then went inside.

"Mother!" she called. "What's with the bars?" she demanded. Rod didn't say anything, but his face suggested his own curiosity.

"Security," Mrs. Thompson answered.

"'Security'?" Nancy repeated. "Security from what?" she asked.

"Not from what. From whom," her mother corrected. She opened the door that led down to the cellar. "Come down to the cellar with me and I'll tell you," the woman continued. Nancy put down the pamphlet and followed her mother, who opened the cellar grate and knelt beside it.

"You two want to know who Fred Krueger was?" Mrs. Thompson asked. "He was a filthy child murder who killed at least twenty kids in the neighborhood. Kids we all knew," she continued.

"Oh, Mom," Nancy murmured as the two teens sank to their knees.

"It drove us crazy when we didn't know who it was. But it was even worse after they caught him," Mrs. Thompson said. She sighed, reached into the grate, and took out a cloth.

"Did they put him away?" Nancy asked.

"Oh, the lawyers got fat, and the judge got famous, but…somebody forgot to sign the search warrant in the right place and Krueger was freed just like that," Mrs. Thompson revealed.

"What did you do, Mrs. Thompson?" Rod asked.

"A bunch of us parents tracked him down after they let him out. We found him in an old abandoned boiler room where he used to take his kids," Mrs. Thompson replied.

"Go on," Nancy prompted.

"We took gasoline, poured it all around the place, and a made a trail of it out the door. Then lit the whole thing up and watched it burn," Mrs. Thompson told them.

"How could you?" Nancy wondered.

"What gave you the right to take the law into your own hands?" Rod added.

"Because Krueger took it into his hands to kill our kids. Glen, Tina---even you two---you all had a brother or sister once. You weren't always only children," Mrs. Thompson told them. The woman sighed laboriously. "But he can't get you now. He's dead kids, because I killed him," she told them. "I even took his knives," she stated, unwrapping the cloth. Nancy and Rod recoiled when they saw the offending objects.

"It's all okay now," she assured. She put the cloth back in the grate and placed her hands on Nancy's knees, seeming to have forgotten that Rod was there. "You can sleep," she told her daughter.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I realize the scenes between Nancy and her mother are very personal, but I felt it was important that Rod be there for the friendship angle since for the rest of the story, I'm gonna have them stickin' close to each other.


	4. One More Lost

DISCLAIMER

NOES belongs to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema. I change some dialogue because of content and also add to fit in with the story. Since they never really show Glen's yard all that much, I'm taking some liberties.

Glen was lying on his bed when he heard the phone ring. He removed one of his headphones and listened. When the phone rang again, he answered it.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Hi," he heard girlfriend say.

"Oh. Hi. How you doin'?" he questioned.

"Fine," she answered. "Stand by your window so I can see you. You sound a million miles away," she requested. Glen did as she asked.

"That's much better," she smiled.

"I see your mom went ape at the security store. You look like the prisoner of Zender or somethin'," he joked. "How long has it been since you slept?" he asked more seriously.

"Coming on the seventh day," she told him. Glen's face became disapproving. "It's okay. I checked. The Guinness record's eleven," she assured. Glen didn't know what to say to that. He was seriously beginning to think that his girlfriend was losing it.

"Listen Glen, Rod and I know who he is," Nancy told him.

"Who?" Glen asked.

"The killer," Nancy said.

"You do?" Glen queried.

"Yes. And if he gets me and Rod, I'm pretty sure you're next," Nancy told him.

"**Me**?" Glen repeated. "Why would anybody want to kill **me**?" he questioned hotly.

"Don't ask!" Nancy exclaimed. "Just give me and Rod some help **nailing** the guy when I bring him out," she continued.

"Bring him out of what?" Glen asked. What in the world was Nancy talking about?

"My dream," Nancy replied, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. There was a beat of silence, and then Glen sighed.

"How do you plan to do **that**?" he questioned.

"Just like I did the hat. Have a hold of the sucker when you and Rod wake me up," Nancy told him.

"Look, wait a minute. You can't bring somebody out of a dream," Glen stated.

"If I can't, you can all relax because it's just a case of me being nuts," Nancy declared.

"Yeah, well, I can save you the trouble. You're nutty as a fruitcake," Glen responded. "But I love you anyways," he added.

"Good," Nancy smiled. "Then you won't mind braining this guy when I bring him out," she said.

"What?" Glen asked, his voice sharpening. They were back to this again?

"You heard me. I grab the guy in my dream, you and Rod see me struggling, so you wake me up. We **both** come out, you whack the sucker, and we got him," Nancy proclaimed.

"Are you crazy? Hit him with what?" Glen questioned.

"You're the jock. Use a baseball bat or something," Nancy answered. "Just meet me at my porch at midnight," she told him. Then, "Oh, and meanwhile…"

"Meanwhile?" Glen prompted.

"Whatever you do…**don**'**t**…**fall**…**asleep**," Nancy cautioned. Glen fell silent. She sounded so serious.

"Midnight?" Nancy checked in a soft, hopeful voice. Glen hung up and walked back to his bed. He blew out a breath. He couldn't believe he just agreed to this.

"Oh, man. Midnight, baseball bats, and boogeymen. Beautiful," he said to himself, slipping his headphones back on and settling down on the bed. In her room, Nancy sat at her desk, looking at a picture of her and her friends. Krueger had taken Tina away from them, and he had almost gotten Rod. This ended here and now. She wasn't going to let this freak win. She'd kill him, no matter what. She sighed and placed the picture on the side of her dresser. _For you, Tina. We'll get him for you_, she silently promised. Then, she took a handful of pills and gulped them down. Back at Glen's, Mrs. Lantz knocked on his door.

"Glen?" she asked. She got no response. "Honey?" she asked again, knocking. She opened it, hearing music from the television. "Glen?" she questioned. She turned off the t.v.

"Glen?" she asked, shaking his shoulder. Glen jumped back in fright. He looked up and removed his headphones.

"How can you listen to television and hear your records at the same time?" she wondered in slight exasperation.

"Oh, I wasn't listenin' to the tube, Ma, just watchin'," he answered. "Miss Nude America's gonna be on tonight," he added with a slight smile.

"Well, how can you hear what she's going to say?" Mrs. Lantz challenged.

"Who cares what she says?" Glen responded.

"Don't be such a smart guy," his mother scolded. "I want you to go to bed," she said, ruffling his hair. "It's almost midnight. Goodness knows we've **all** had a lot to deal with these past few days," she stated.

"I will, Mom," Glen assured. "You guys turnin' in?" he asked.

"Pretty soon. Now get to bed," she commanded. Glen sighed and messed up his hair with his fingers. Then, he looked at the clock. Eleven-forty-two. Only about fifteen minutes until he had to meet Nancy and Rod. He could do that. He could stay awake for fifteen minutes…couldn't he? He let out a scoff. Of course he could. Back at the Thompson house, Marge was saying goodnight to daughter.

"It's over now, baby. The nightmare's over. Please," she whispered.

"Okay," Nancy agreed with a nod. Marge stroked her daughter's hair lovingly. Then, she rose from her kneeling position, took the mug and coffee pot, and walked out of the room, shutting off the light. Almost immediately, Nancy rose out of her bed and poured herself another cup of coffee. She changed into a shirt and then stared at Glen's bedroom. To her annoyance, Mr. Lantz was standing outside, staring at her. She pulled down the blind. Mrs. Lantz joined her husband on the porch and followed his gaze. Then, she leaned into him.

"You shouldn't stare," she scolded.

"You know what I think?" Mr. Lantz asked. "I think that kid is some kind of lunatic," he continued.

"Oh. You shouldn't talk that way about that poor child," she chided. "You mean those bars?" she asked. Her husband didn't answer. "Marge is just being cautious with her being all alone and Nancy acting so…**nervous** lately," she explained.

"I don't care what you say. I don't want **that** kid hanging around with our son anymore," he proclaimed. In her room, Nancy was once again sitting at her desk. The slashes on her arm began to seep through the bandage and she mopped up the blood with some Kleenex. She checked the window and then headed for the door. When she checked the hall, she saw her mother getting herself another liquor bottle. The woman gulped down the content of the container. She closed the door. She'd have to wait a few more minutes until the woman was passed out. In the meantime, she could wake up Glen. She sat at her desk and dialed the number. It rang. However, Glen was fast asleep and didn't hear the ringing.

"Glen, come on. Answer the phone," Nancy encouraged. It was his parents, however, who heard the jangling.

"Hello?" Mrs. Lantz asked. She sighed. "Just a minute," she said. She turned to her husband. "It's **her**. She wants to talk to Glen," she reported.

"About what?" he wondered. It was nearly midnight for crying out loud.

"What's this about, Nancy?" Mrs. Lantz queried. She listened for a few seconds. "Just a minute," she requested and then turned back to her husband. "She says it's private. Very private and very important," she told him. The man walked up to his wife.

"Give me that," he instructed, taking the phone. "Glen's asleep. You'll have to talk to him tomorrow," he said brusquely. And then hung up. His wife looked at him in shock. "You've just got to be firm with these kids, that's all," he explained. "Let's go," he said. Then, he got an idea. "As a matter fact…" With that, he took the phone off the hook. The dial tone buzzed. Nancy redialed and was met with the buzzing sound. Then, with a curse, she hung up and went to the window.

"Glen, don't fall asleep," she called. Then, she went back to the phone and dialed a different number.

"Yeah?" she heard Rod's voice asked.

"Rod, I can't reach Glen anymore. All I get is a busy signal," she reported.

"I'll check it out," the boy promised.

"Thanks," she said. Then, they hung up. With a sigh, she sat on the bed. The phone rang.

"Glen? Rod?" she asked. There was a screeing sound. She removed the phone from her ear and stared at it. The screeing continued.

"NOOOOOOO---OOO!" she shrieked, yanking the cord out of the phone. Then, what she had just done hit her. "Oh, brilliant. What if Glen or Rod try to call?" she berated herself, as she wrapped the cord around the phone. She headed for the door. As soon as she sat foot in the hall, the phone rang. She froze. It rang again. She walked back into her room. As the phone rang, she picked up the cord. _How is this possible?_ she wondered. She picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" she asked.

"I'm your boyfriend now, Nancy," she heard Krueger rasp. There was a kissing sound and the man's tongue materialized on her phone. With a shriek at the contact, Nancy dropped the phone and proceeded to smash it with her feet. She panted and ran her fingers through her hair. "My boyfriend?" she asked. What did he mean? Not Rod. They weren't together. Then it hit her. With a gasp, she headed downstairs. She tried the front door, but found it locked. She gave an exclamation of frustration.

"Locked. Locked, locked, locked. I locked it all up," Marge said drunkenly. "I had to. Nancy, you are going to get some sleep tonight if it kills me," she told her daughter. The girl approached the couch.

"Give me the key, Mother," Nancy demanded.

"I can't. I don't even have it on me," Marge responded, lifting the belt of her robe as proof. Nancy cursed again and hit the side of the couch. Meanwhile, Rod had managed to reach Glen's house in record time. He found a tree near Glen's window and climbed it. Luckily, Mr. Lantz hadn't fixed the faulty lock on his son's window yet. Rod quietly swore. The idiot had fallen asleep. He opened the window and crept up to his friend's bed.

"Glen?" he asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. Glen opened his eyes.

"Hey, man. I---" Rod's voice died as he felt something underneath his arm. He and Glen looked down to see a red shirt-sleeve snake around Glen's waist.

"No!" the boys shouted. Rod grabbed Glen's shoulders and tried to pull his friend upward. "No! Help! Mom!" he shouted, grabbing the side of his bed in an effort to rise.

"Mrs. Lantz! Help me!" Rod added.

"Pull me up!" Glen cried.

"I'm trying!" Rod shouted. He pulled his friend forward again and the boy cried in pain as his stomach connected with the four razors. Rod gave once last yank, and managed to pull Glen away from Krueger. The man roared in anger, and then disappeared. Rod cradled Glen's body into his lap.

"Glen," he said, pressing his arm against the wound. "You just gotta hold on, man. For Nancy," he encouraged. Having had heard the shrieks, Mrs. Lantz ran into the room. She gasped.

"Get me somethin' to stop the blood," Rod requested.

"Wha---" Mrs. Lantz gasped.

"I need somethin' for the blood! Get me a towel or somethin!" Rod shouted. Unnerved, the woman went to do what he was told. Glen started to say something.

"Ssshhhh, ssssshhhhh, ssssshhhh. Don't speak, man," Rod told him.

"W---watch out…for…Nancy," Glen whispered.

"Yeah, man. You know I will," Rod promised. Glen drew in a ragged breath.

"Up yours---" he began.

"With a twirling lawnmower," Rod finished. Glen sighed again, and then closed his eyes.

"Glen?" Rod asked. Nothing. "Glen?" he asked again. He gently shook him, and then he knew. His friend was dead. Rod's eyes clouded and his head lowered sadly. How was he going to tell Nancy he had failed? In her living room, Nancy shrieked and ran her fingers through her hair. Rod had been too late. She didn't know how she knew this, but she did. Krueger had taken another of their group.

"GLE----E----E---E---E---EN!" Nancy wailed.


	5. Facing Freddy

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema. Some dialogue is changed to match what I did in the last chap. I also change some of the ending so that it's less confusing. I'm not sure of Mr. Lantz's first name, so I'm making something up. Dream sequence is italicized.

At the Lantz house, officers had already arrived and were waiting for Lt. Thompson, who arrived shortly.

"Don't tell me it's another one," he said.

"Lt. Thompson, I'm sorry to wake you. But, I---I wasn't sure what to do. The boy's gut was slashed, but there was no weapon at the scene," the officer said. "It's in your neighborhood, so I thought I'd better call you right away," he continued, as they walked into the house. Feeling someone watching him, Lt. Thompson turned around. To his surprise, his daughter was in the window, watching him. _What's she doing up this late?_ _And what's with the bars?_ he wondered, as he gave her a confused wave. With an expression of anguish, Nancy waved to her father. In the Lantz house, Lt. Thompson led Mr. Lantz to the living room.

"Come on, sit down," he soothed.

"I don't want to sit down!" the man exclaimed. An officer came up, gently guiding Rod to a couch.

"Rod, are you okay?" Lt. Thompson asked.

"I tried to save him. But I couldn't. Krueger was too strong," he whispered. Lt. Thompson winced at the name, but walked away and took Glen's father to the side.

"Do you have any idea who could've done this?" he questioned.

"Yeah," Mr. Lantz replied. Lt. Thompson waited. "Krueger," he stated.

"Come on, George. Fred Krueger's dead," the lieutenant reminded him.

"Yeah. **We** killed him, now he's getting revenge by taking our kids," the other man replied as the phone rang. It was answered, and a few minutes later, an officer walked up to them.

"Lieutenant, it's your daughter," he reported. The man walked to the phone.

"Nancy?" he asked.

"Hi, Daddy," Nancy greeted. "I know what happened," she continued.

"I haven't been upstairs, but Rod's pretty upset," Lt. Thompson told her.

"Yeah, but you know Glen's dead, right?" Nancy asked.

"Yeah. According to Rod, he's dead," Lt. Thompson answered. Nancy wiped away her tears. Crying wouldn't bring Glen back. She and Rod would just have to do this themselves.

"Listen Daddy, I've got a proposition for you," Nancy stated. "Listen **very** carefully, please," she requested.

"Nancy---" the man began.

"I'm gonna go and get the guy who did this. And I want you to be there to arrest him when I bring him out, okay?" she proposed.

"Just **tell** me who did it. I'll go get him, Baby," Lt. Thompson reassured his daughter.

"Fred Krueger did it, Daddy. And only I can get him. It's my nightmare he comes to," Nancy responded. Lt. Thompson sighed. Not this nonsense again. Honestly, he didn't know where she and Rod had heard that name or what they thought they were doing, but enough was enough. "Just come **here** and break the door down in exactly twenty minutes. Can you do that?" Nancy asked.

"Yeah, sure," Lt. Thompson sighed.

"That'll be **exactly** half past midnight," she said. She sighed. "Time---time enough for me to fall asleep and find him," she continued.

"Honey. Look, honey---you just do that. Get yourself some sleep. That's what I've been telling you all along," Lt. Thompson said.

"But you'll be here to catch him?" Nancy asked.

"Lt., they're waiting for you upstairs," Officer Parker reported.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. I'll be there, Sweetheart. Now look, you just get yourself some rest. **Please**? Deal?" he requested.

"Deal," Nancy sighed in resignation. He hadn't listened to her. She and Rod were on their own.

"I love you, Sweetheart," Lt. Thompson said. Nancy listened to the dial tone that followed. The lieutenant turned to his officer. "Look, go outside and watch my daughter's house. If you see anything funny, call me," he instructed.

"'Anything funny'?" Officer Parker repeated. "Like what?" he asked.

"I don't know," Lt. Thompson answered. He sighed. "One thing's for sure: I don't want her coming over here. She's too far gone to be able to handle **this**," he continued. Then, he walked upstairs. In her house, Nancy set up the traps. She blackened a bulb and hooked it up with a clothing pin connected to an electrical wire. Then, she put a trip wire in one of the rooms. She tested it to make sure it was taut. She blackened another bulb and put it in one of the lamps. She rigged a door and tied a hammer that would fall when the door was opened. Back in the Lantz house, Lt. Thompson went up to Glen's room and looked inside. Then, he shook his head sadly.

"Who the heck would this, Lieutenant?" the officer asked.

"I don't know," Lt. Thompson admitted. And he didn't like that feeling. Back at the Thompson house, Nancy was sitting on the couch with her mother.

"I guess I should've told you about him then," Marge said.

"Get some sleep, Mom. It's gonna be okay," Nancy assured.

"I was just trying to protect you. I didn't see how much you needed to **know**," Marge continued. For a moment, the woman was silent. Then, she continued. "You face things. That's your nature. That's your gift. But sometimes you have to turn away too." The woman sighed and lifted the liquor bottle. She stared at it, and twisted the cap. She stared at it and then placed it on the table. The girl stared at her mother. She could only imagine how hard it had been to say 'no' to her crutch.

"I love you," Nancy said. Marge smiled briefly.

"I love you too, Baby," she commented. Nancy covered her mother with the blanket, gave her a peck on the cheek, and then turned out the light.

"Night," the woman called. Nancy stood in front of her window.

"Okay, Krueger. We play in your court," she proclaimed. Then, she pulled the shade down and went to bed.

"And now I lay me down to sleep, I **pray** the Lord my soul to keep. And if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take," she prayed. Then, she set her alarm's countdown for ten minutes. She sighed and lay down. The conversation she and Rod had with Glen came back to her.

"_**Well, what if they meet a monster in their dreams?" Nancy wondered.**_

_**"Yeah. Then what?" Rod added.**_

_**"They turn their back on it. Take away its energy and it disappears," Glen responded.**_

_**"But what happens if they don't do that?" Nancy wondered. **_

_**"Well, then, I guess those people don't wake up to tell what happens," Glen replied.**_

_Nancy closed her eyes. She walked down stairs and down the hall. She opened the door to the cellar and walked down the steps. She went to the grate to get Krueger's glove and knives. To her surprise, they were no longer there. She shook the cloth, just to be certain. She looked around. Seeing another door, she opened it and walked down the stairs. She was back in the boiler room. While she was walking down the stairs she heard Krueger laughing._

"_Gonna get you," he said. He laughed. She continued on her way and heard Glen shouting in fear as well as Tina's voice faintly calling her name. She looked through cracks in the steps to see an incinerator. Then, she continued down the ladder and down the hall. She checked her arm, surveying her injury._

"_Krueger!" she called. "I'm here!" she told him. There was silence. She walked down yet another hall. In another portion of the room, she found one of Krueger's trophies: the cross from Tina's bed. Krueger peeked from around a corner and let his knives scrape against the wall. Nancy looked around. When she rounded the bend, she found another one of the freak's prizes: Glen's headphones. She knelt down and picked them up. Her body shook with fear and_ _anger. Krueger had taken Glen away from her._ _He had killed him for no reason. She dropped the headgear. "Come out and show yourself, you freak!" she dared. She checked her watch and swore. Krueger appeared at her side with a roar. She screamed and ran as Krueger gave chase. "Come on, Krueger. Follow me!" she cried. With another scream, she jumped to the ground and landed in the rose bushes. She swore and overturned the trellis. She looked around. _

"_Where are you?" she demanded. She messed up her hair with a hand. "Where are you, Krueger?" she demanded again. She surveyed her surroundings_. _ "I know you're here," she told him. Her watch began the countdown for the last ten seconds of the alarm she had set._

"_Nancy." Nancy looked to see Krueger appear among the trellis. He gave a grunt._

"_I got you now!"_ _With a shriek, she lunged at Krueger who gave an exclamation of surprise._ _They struggled for a few seconds._ As she awoke, Nancy found herself on her bed. She gasped and looked around. Had it worked? Not seeing anyone, she sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. This could only mean one thing.

"I'm crazy after all," she said. Krueger roared and jumped from behind her bed. Nancy screamed and took off. She smashed a globe over his head and ran out of her room. She closed the door and set one of her traps. "It's on, Krueger! Take it down! Come and get me!" she dared, and then ran downstairs.

"Help! I've got him! Hey, Daddy! I've got him trapped! Help! Where are you!?" Nancy wondered.

"Nancy, I'm comin'!" Rod cried.

"Everything's gonna be all right! Everything's under control!" Officer Parker assured.

"Get her dad, you idiot!" Rod shouted, and then ran over to the house. He grabbed the knob and twisted it. Nothing. With a curse, Rod fiddled with the lock and finally opened the door.

"Nancy?" he asked. He heard Krueger roaring and hurried towards the sound. There was a large clatter. Nancy shrieked and ran from the man who had landed at her feet.

"I'm here. I'm here," Rod assured as she ran to the other side of the couch.

"How---" she began to ask.

"Broke the lock," was the answer. Krueger made a swipe for them, but they quickly jumped out of the way.

"Come on, Freddy. Can't you catch us?" Nancy taunted. The two teens took off with the man in chase. They jumped over the couch.

"I'm gonna split you in two," he threatened. He stepped forward, and activated another one of Nancy's trap. The light bulb exploded and hit Krueger in the back. The man fell to the ground.

"Did you do that?" Rod asked.

"Yeah," Nancy answered.

"Cool," Rod approved. She ran to another window and smashed it. "Daddy! Help us, **please**!" Nancy cried.

"Maybe I better go tell the lieutenant," Officer Parker said to himself. Krueger appeared behind her. With a cry, she and Rod took off for the cellar. She turned off a light.

"I'll kill you slow!" Krueger growled. They went around one corner as he went around another. The girl whispered something to her friend and he nodded.

"Where are you?" he asked.

"HEY!" To his surprise, Rod threw a liquor bottle at him.

"No! NO!" he shouted as the boy struck a match and threw it on him. Nancy and Rod took off, with a screaming Krueger on their heels. Krueger tried to go through the door, but Nancy and Rod opened the door, pushing him down the stairs. With a shriek, Nancy locked the door and ran. The man started back up as he groaned painfully.

"Daddy, we did it! Please, hurry!" Nancy cried. Her father ran out of the Lantz house. "Daddy! Where are you?" she asked.

"Parker! I need some help here!" Lt. Thompson called, seeing the fire. The officers called instructions to each other.

"Nancy! Rod!" he called.

"Daddy!" Nancy called as the man reached the house. "Daddy…" she began as the man ran through the house. With frightened exclamations, she led them to the cellar steps as Rod looked around.

"Nancy," he said. She turned around and followed her friend's gaze.

"Oh, my gosh," she said.

"Nancy, what the heck is going on?" Lt. Thompson wondered. Nancy and Rod followed the fiery footsteps.

"Parker! We've got a fire up here too!" the lieutenant reported. At the same time, the kids reached the same conclusion. The lieutenant followed them up the stairs.

"What the heck is going on, Nancy?" the man demanded.

"He's after Mother!" she shrieked, running upstairs.

"Mrs. Thompson!" the boy exclaimed at the same time, following close behind. They ran to her room and the girl shrieked, falling against the door. Krueger laughed from his position on the bed. With another shriek, she grabbed a chair and slammed it against the man's back. He fell over and Nancy backed up as Rod pulled her away.

"It's too late! You can't help her!" he cried. Lt. Thompson took a sheet and covered the flames with it.

"Daddy! Watch out! He's under there!" Nancy warned, grabbing her father's arm. Marge and Krueger disappeared into the bed with a flash of light. Nancy hid her face in his arm as the two disappeared. Once the bed was back to normal, Nancy sprawled over it.

"Mother! Mother! Mother!" she cried, smacking the cloth. Rod came over and pulled her away.

"It's too late. It's too late. He took her. He took her," he said, smoothing her hair back comfortingly. "Now do you believe us?" he asked the officer. Lt. Thompson shook his head in disbelief. What the heck? How was all this possible? One of the officers came up.

"They've got the fire out downstairs," he reported. "Is everything up here?" Lt. Thompson quickly shoved him away and shut the door. Then, he took his daughter into his arms.

"I'm okay," Nancy told him.

"Go downstairs. We'll be there in a minute," Rod added. Lt. Thompson did as they requested. Nancy and Rod stared at the bed.

"I'm sorry, Nancy. I really am," he told her. The door closed and Nancy gave a small gasp of surprise. The teens looked at each other and then turned around. Slowly, the bed sheet rose as Krueger's form came up. Nancy and Rod stood frozen, chests heaving.

"We know you're there, Freddy," Nancy declared. Krueger slashed his way free.

"You two think you was gonna get away from me?" he asked.

"We know you too well now, Freddy," Rod replied.

"Now…you die," Krueger told them.

"It's too late, Krueger," Nancy responded.

"We know the secret now," Rod added.

"This is just a dream. You're not alive," Nancy continued.

"This whole thing is just a dream," Rod interjected. They turned around.

"You may have taken my mother and our friends. But you won't get us," Nancy stated.

"What?" Krueger asked in controlled anger. How dare these brats speak to him this way?

"We take back every bit of energy we gave you," Rod declared. They turned their backs on him.

"You're nothing," they chorused. "You're **nothing**." With that, both reached for the doorknob. With a roar, Krueger struck. However, his power was gone and he disappeared without even touching them. Then, they went downstairs and to the living room where Lt. Thompson was waiting for them.

"Are you two okay?" he asked.

"Fine, Daddy…now that Krueger's gone," Nancy assured them. She sighed and leaned into Rod, who held her. Lt. Thompson's eyes clouded and he put a hand on Rod's shoulder. Finally, it was all over.

THE END


End file.
